Solar Energy

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/24/feature-0-1395690387112.jpg" /pElectricity demand is soaring in Northern Africa nations (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt) due to economic development, rising living standards, and other factors, but the existing power infrastructure is severely inadequate to handle it. Supply is plunging because of spiking demand in hot summers, threadbare infrastructure, political instability (especially since the 2011 Arab Spring), financing restrictions, and inadequate regulatory frameworks. Even so, power generation projects and structural reforms to support them are pushing forward in this region — and in many cases renewable energy is the best solution, particularly tapping into solar and wind resources, according to recent analysis from Frost Sullivan./p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/25/feature-0-1395755244769.jpg" /pIn a move reminiscent of Spain, the Czech Republic, Australia and even Germany, the Greek government has proposed cuts to the country’s successful Feed-in Tariff (FIT)./p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/25/feature-0-1395756148951.jpg" /pJapan approved a cut in tariffs for solar power as a building boom meant the technology made up 97 percent of new renewable capacity since it offered incentives./p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/24/feature-0-1395679032948.jpg" /pA solar system installed by REC Solar at a California vineyard. Today’s farmers are increasingly using the sun’s energy to grow more than just fruits and vegetables. Solar power systems have become a new solution for reducing the energy costs of water pumps, refrigeration, vineyard wine processing, and many other energy-intensive agriculture applic/p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/21/feature-0-1395432437298.png" /pThe Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an important set of reforms intended to save consumers money and improve the transmission planning process more than two years ago, but the merits of “Order 1000” were still being debated yesterday in a Washington, D.C., federal courtroom.
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img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/21/feature-0-1395427053050.jpg" /pFrom David and Goliath to Luke Skywalker and the Death Star, the human race has been reminded again and again that big things have their vulnerable points. The U.S. power grid, sometimes called the world’s largest machine, is no exception./p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/24/feature-0-1395682201957.png" /pAny way you slice it, solar investing has been on a tear for the last year. Of the 69 solar stocks that the Roen Financial Report tracks, three-quarters are up for the year. On average solar stocks have gained 85 percent for the year, with 60 percent of solar companies up in the double digits. What is most impressive is that the top 17 solar stocks are all up in the triple digits, and one, Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ), is up 903 percent./p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/19/feature-0-1395255604286.jpg" /pSandia National Laboratories engineers have been studying the most effective ways to use solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays — a clean, affordable and renewable way to keep the power on. Systems are relatively easy to install and have relatively small maintenance costs. They begin working immediately and can run unassisted for decades./p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/21/feature-0-1395407200431.jpg" /pWe don’t cover climate change news all that much here on RenewableEnergyWorld.com. The reason for that is that we view climate change as just one bullet point in a list of reasons why renewable energy make sense: energy independence, grid stability through decentralized generation and resource depletion are also on that list. But yesterday we recei/p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/21/feature-0-1395409886098.png" /pRecent news that Austin Energy is looking to sign a 25-year solar energy PPA for less than 5 cents per kilowatt-hour is not just solar notable, it’s utility notable. (Austin Energy is seeking city council approval to execute the PPA at a 3/27/14 meeting.) The two projects totaling 150 megawatts are admittedly larger than typically seen for PV, crea/p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/17/feature-0-1395091671879.jpg" /pGovernment should not pick winners and losers. Public-sector bureaucracy strangles entrepreneurship and innovation. Government can establish broad policy framework, but then should get out of the way./p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/21/feature-0-1395416326374.jpg" /pChina and the European Union have reached a new settlement that should formally end their ongoing dispute over solar panels, contrasting sharply from a more confrontational tack taken by the U.S. in a similar spat. Meantime in other solar news, a looming new bond default by a mid-sized panel maker has become the latest sign that Beijing is prepared/p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/19/feature-0-1395248882590.jpg" /pHow can utilities account for the climate and financial benefits of solar power? For years, Minnesota has been considering this question. And on Mar. 12, the state authorized a value-of-solar tariff that utilities can use to credit solar power producers for the benefits they are providing to utilities and society./p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/19/feature-0-1395274390625.jpg" /pWhile sitting at a coffee shop the other day, I saw a young mother try to explain the Golden Rule to her 4-year-old daughter, and it struck me that solar marketing has its own set of commonsense golden rules that we should all keep in mind. You might have a few more, but here are my top seven to get you started: 1. Thou shalt give before getting. S/p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/20/feature-0-1395325424275.jpg" /pSolarCity Corp., the biggest developer of U.S. rooftop solar panels, halted efforts to install and connect systems that include batteries for power storage because California’s utilities are reluctant to link them to the electric grid./p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/20/feature-0-1395324715199.jpg" /pBP Plc, recovering from an oil spill that may cost it as much as $42 billion, said it hasn’t set a new target for investing in renewable energy after investing $8.3 billion in the business./p

img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/18/feature-0-1395174186326.jpg" /pThe United States is currently facing a very unique situation — the first of its kind — as we decide how to upgrade and expand our energy infrastructure. Many are afraid that investing in a new energy system is too expensive and would cost trillions of dollars. The truth is that the investment choices we make today will determine whether we build a resilient, reliable energy system. What we need is a modern system that will maximize economic benefits, put the consumer in control, and utilize innovation and technology all while attaining steep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
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img hspace="10" vspace="5" align="left" src="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com//assets/images/story/2014/3/19/feature-0-1395249983425.jpg" /pOn March 17, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced that it would begin accepting applications for a generous subsidy that it is awarding to consumers who install lithium-ion battery storage systems along with renewable energy systems on their homes or businesses. The subsidy will spark nearly 100 MW of energy storage capacity to be installed in 2014, according to an energy analyst with IHS./p